Roman portrait from late 1st century CE

Roman portrait from the late 1st century CE, currently located at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (USA).

This remarkably realistic portrait dates from the late 1st century AD and is one of the so-called Fayum portraits—unique works of art created in Roman Egypt. They were painted on thin wooden tablets, which were then placed on mummies, replacing the face of the deceased.

Fayum portraits combine Egyptian and Roman traditions: on the one hand, they retain their funerary character and religious function, and on the other, they depict the deceased in a highly individualized manner, with attention to facial detail, hairstyle, and jewelry.